The invention relates to passenger accommodation arrangements for use in transportation vehicles such as aircraft, trains, busses and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to passenger accommodation arrangements which easily permit a passenger to convert from a sitting position to a fully reposed sleeping position.
It has long been a goal of the passenger transportation industry cost effectively to provide comfortable seating and bedding arrangements for passengers. Given the ever increasing volume of long, non-stop flights over 6 hours in duration, it has become even more desirable to provide a truly restful passenger accommodation. Attainment of this goal has been difficult given the concurrent need to optimize the efficient use of space in aircraft. With current seating accommodations, passengers who desire to sleep during flights typically are forced to do so in positions which are either substantially upright or at various angles of repose short of horizontal. The inefficient seating/bedding arrangements of the prior art coupled with the pressure to maximize per-flight revenues have precluded adoption of volume-intensive solutions which would otherwise be available to allow achievement of these goals.